This invention is directed to the use of flavone 8-acetic acid and its homologues in vascular and cardiovascular intervention and in acute coronary syndromes, alone or in combination with thrombolytic agents, antithrombotic agents, anticoagulants, or antiplatelet agents.
Vascular and cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, myocardial infarction, and blood clots, continue to be major causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States and other advanced industrial countries. A number of genetic and environmental factors have been linked to the occurrence of vascular and cardiovascular diseases, including genetic errors of lipid or lipoprotein metabolism and lifestyle factors such as tobacco smoking, the consumption of foods high in saturated fat, and lack of exercise. Despite a number of recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of such diseases, they are still among the leading causes of death in the United States.
Therefore, there is a need for improved treatments for vascular and cardiovascular diseases. There is a particular need for agents and treatments that can treat both thrombosis and vasoconstriction in a coordinated manner.
The administration of a flavone 8-carboxylic acid is effective in treating vascular and cardiovascular conditions and acute coronary syndromes.
In particular, one aspect of a method according to the present invention comprises a method for treating a vascular or cardiovascular condition or acute coronary syndromes comprising administering an effective amount of a flavone 8-carboxylic acid of formula (I) 
where n is an integer from 1 to 3 to a mammal suffering from a vascular or cardiovascular condition or acute coronary syndromes.
Preferably, the flavone 8-carboxylic acid is flavone 8-acetic acid, in which n is 1.
The mammal can be a human or a socially or economically important nonhuman animal.
The flavone 8-carboxylic acid can act by reducing thrombosis or by reducing vasoconstriction.
Another aspect of the present invention is a method for treating a vascular or cardiovascular condition or acute coronary syndromes comprising administering an effective amount of a flavone 8-carboxylic acid of formula (I) where n is an integer from 1 to 3 and an additional agent that can ameliorate a vascular or a cardiovascular condition or acute coronary syndromes to a mammal suffering from a vascular or cardiovascular condition or acute coronary syndromes.
The additional agent can be selected from the group consisting of a thrombolytic agent, an antithrombotic agent, an anticoagulant, or an antiplatelet agent.
Thrombolytic agents include streptokinase, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), and urokinase and modifications or derivatives of these molecules. Aminocaproic acid is an antithrombotic agent. Anticoagulants include heparin, warfarin, dicoumarol, phenprocoumon, acenocoumarol, ethyl biscoumacetate, and anisindione. Antiplatelet agents include aspirin, dipyramidole, ticlopidine, and plavix.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is a pharmaceutical composition comprising:
(1) an effective amount of a flavone 8-carboxylic acid of formula (I) where n is an integer from 1 to 3; and
(2) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, the pharmaceutical composition being formulated for the treatment of a vascular or cardiovascular condition or acute coronary syndromes.